• George Floyd France Prohibits Strangulation Technique To Immobilize Detainees
  • Paris: Barricades, tear gas and projectile launches in protest of thousands of people against police violence

French policemen symbolically threw their handcuffs to the ground in various cities in France in protest, after being accused of being racist and violent in the context of worldwide protests against the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white cop in America.

"With this gesture, colleagues show their satiety over the stigma and amalgams generated by the statements of certain groups that we have been hearing lately," Sébastien Soulé, of the Alliance union, said in statements to the French press.

Police unions also organized protests in Paris on Friday in front of the Arc de Triomphe, the Elysee Palace and the Interior Ministry to record their unrest and anger, days after several demonstrations took place in France against racism and police violence. The police denounce the lack of support from the Interior Minister , Christophe Castaner, who they consider that, instead of going to the defense of the French agents, he has left them stranded.

"The bond of trust between our minister Castaner and the policemen has been broken," said Bruno Bartocetti, regional delegate of the SGP Police-FO union, according to the FranceInfo network. "The police are not racist, the police are republican," said Fabien Vanhemelryck, secretary general of the Alliance union. "An interior minister must be behind his police officers," Vanhemelryck said.

Several police unions demanded the resignation of the Interior Minister and to be received by President Emmanuel Macron. Castaner met with them on Thursday and Friday to try to calm things down. French police feel abandoned and betrayed by the minister. The statements by Castaner, who announced "zero tolerance" against racism and police violence, have been very bad for them.

The minister also promised that "every proven suspicion of racist acts or statements [by police] will systematically lead to a suspension . " The police unions consider that instead of applying the principle of the presumption of innocence to officers [every person accused of a crime should be considered innocent until proven otherwise] and of the right to defense, the presumption will apply of guilt.

They also criticized Castaner's announcement that the French police will stop using the controversial strangulation technique to restrain violent detainees, without offering alternatives to officers.

The Minneapolis (United States) police used this technique when they arrested George Floyd. A white police officer pressed his knee against his neck for almost 9 minutes, preventing him from breathing and allegedly causing his death. The video of his arrest and death has sparked a wave of protests around the world against racism and police violence.

Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally (former National Front), came out on Friday in defense of the French police and also demanded the resignation of Castaner. "There really isn't a problem of police violence" in France, Le Pen said. "It is evident that Castaner is out of place," added the far-right policy.

DISCOMFORT OF THE FRENCH POLICE

French police unrest is not new. Last October, 22,000 policemen protested in the streets of Paris against the deterioration of their working conditions, the wave of suicides in the body, unpaid overtime and pension reform.

Unions have been warning for months about the fatigue and wear and tear of officers, on permanent alert after the wave of Islamist attacks in 2015 and with overload of work by the protests of the 'yellow vests', protests against pension reform and the transport strike.

Tomorrow, Saturday, a demonstration by the Adama Traoré committee is called in Paris , a 24-year-old black man who died in 2016 after being arrested by the gendarmes. His family sees a parallel between Traoré's death and George Floyd's.

The Paris prefecture fears that there may be altercations during the demonstration because 'yellow vests' and radical elements could infiltrate the protest. On June 2, 20,000 people answered the Adama Traoré committee call and denounced racism and police violence on the streets of Paris.

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Know more

  • Paris
  • France
  • George Floyd
  • Marine Le Pen
  • Yellow vests

Direct witness Back to school in France: points on the floor for the line, alternate shifts and breaks without physical contact

Police violence From Sydney to London: the world protests the death of George Floyd

Covid-19Masks at the legendary Café de Flore in Paris

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